Warning: The blender stirs the pot in the water, avoid your eyes now.
If I asked you to name a chopper movie, 99% of the respondents would answer with Easy rider—a fitting response to the genre-defining cult classic. But the iconic trio of Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper and Jack Nicholson all starred in their own chopper movies before Columbia took the gamble. Easy rider in 1968.
Hopper plays the villain in a not-so-good movie with a good name Glory Stompers in 1967, and Nicholson in Hell’s Angels on Wheels was decided meh that same year. Of the three, Fonda’s lead role in Wild Angels in 1966 was the strongest, and cemented his status as one of the most prominent counterculture figures of the day. All of which set the stage for Captain America and Billy in 1969, as a goodbye to the genre.
Although it’s not a strong movie like Easy rider, Wild Angels has become somewhat of a cult classic for those who can appreciate the rapid chaos of early cyclist movies. Peter Fonda plays Heavenly Blues, the leader of a California motorcycle gang, and his gang. 74 ci Panhead chopper play a central role in the program. 93 minutes with a man, Wild Angels is a more dramatic film about the cyclist’s lifestyle, but doesn’t paint as wide a canvas on the counterculture spectrum as Easy rider.
The film reaffirmed that audiences were interested in the motorcycle scene, even its rougher elements, and went on to become one of the highest-grossing low-budget productions of its time. . However, critics hated it, with prominent film critic Leonard Maltin calling Wild Angels “OK after about 24 beers.”
Dragon Bike and Captain America Bike are both rigidly modified fish head, but the two HD could not be more different. The Pan is full of stars from Easy rider was the rolling icon of the late ’60s rebellion, with a chrome frame, high king and queen saddle and wide, fluted front fascia. As a performance bike through and through, the covered Pan would be a nightmare to ride every day and Fonda admits it really only works on the open road.
With a much more conservative geometry, the Dragon Bike is more representative of the street choppers of the era. The neckline appears to be unchanged, both wheels have factory-looking brakes and fuel tanks and retain the original speedometer and bezel. With a slight increase in height at the chrome springs, 21F/16R wheel combination, high sissy bar and a pair of fish-mouth piercings, the Dragon Bike still exudes classic style, but it’s still a machine for for driving purposes.
“In a way, the Dragon is even more like a bike for cyclists; it is the ancestor of all helicopters and it reinforces my original role in helicopter history.“—Peter Fonda
Its distinguishing feature is a pair of hand-painted dragons on the tank, believed to be the work of Von Dutch. Aside from being the father of modern plaid art, Dutch art often features pigs, spiders, dragons, and all manner of monsters, and the tank art here shares many similarities with the works. other known Dutch products.
Dragon Bike was lent to director Roger Corman for filming, and Panhead more or less disappeared after its big-screen debut. Decades later, the bicycle is said to have been discovered in the form of a basket and blog post from December 2008 indicates that 80-90% of its parts were together at the time. An authentic letter from Mil Blair, co-founder of Easyrider magazine, also dating from 2008, points out that the bike is genuine, along with ‘many of its original parts’.
The HD was later restored to its former glory using period photographs and films, with great care to preserve original parts, paint and chrome whenever possible. Only slightly refurbished, it has worn out scratches and dents very well, especially on the fuel tank, just like the 2008 pictures. Having watched the movie dozens of times, I was pleasantly surprised when discovered that the bike was actually purple, because it appeared more blue on the screen.
So what’s the point, why care about some old leaky helicopter just because Fonda flew it in a low budget movie when? Well, consider for a moment that the only Captain America bike available from Easy rider sold for $1.35 million in 2014, and that bike has some really complicated history—let’s leave it at that. Estimate Mecum which Peter Fonda’s Panhead from Wild Angels will bring in between $100,000 and $120,000, and by all means, it’s more original work by leaps and bounds.
Between the two, I’d love to show off this fire-breathing Panhead every day of the week, but that’s probably just my opposite nature (reading it all as snobby). Captain America is king, but as long as stubborn idiots continue to dedicate themselves to the rigid, kidney-waisted frame days, even lesser-known machines like the Dragon Bike will carry on. skyrocketing in value. Coloring me doesn’t have the culture to dive into these HD blockbusters, but one day someone will laugh at the bank with this movie, and I definitely wish it was me.
Peter Fonda’s Panhead from Wild Angels To be provided by mecum as part of the John Parham Collection at the National Motorcycle Museum.
